French Mirage 2000 D aircraft flying to N'Djamena after taking off from the French military base of Nancy. / Richard Nicolas-Nelson, AP

by USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

PARIS (AP) - France's defense minister says that Islamist extremists have overrun Diabaly, a small town in central Mali where fighting in the four-day-old offensive continues to rage.

Jean-Yves Le Drian said Monday the rebels "took Diabaly after fierce fighting and resistance from the Malian army that couldn't hold them back."

Earlier, a Malian intelligence agent posted near Diabaly said that French pilots launched a raid on Monday morning close to the town.

The bombing run marks an expansion of the battle to retake Mali's north. Until Sunday night, the raids had all occurred in distant northern areas. The bombardments near Diabaly follows airstrikes late Sunday 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of the locality, in the rice growing region of Anatola, once the site of a major USAID-funded project.

The agent, who could not be named because he was not authorized to speak to the press, said that shots rang out near a military base in Diabaly. Soon after, he said French jets flew over the area, dropping bombs.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All
rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.